Three Speed Spotted: Pashley Roadster

Today’s specimen was spotted on “torrential” Tuesday on SE Belmont St. It’s a Pashley Roadster of unknown vintage, but by the condition its in, I’d say fairly recent. Pashley is a British bicycle maker that still makes traditional British bikes (i.e. three-speed roadsters, clubman road bikes). Never as big as Raleigh, but unlike Raleigh which today is a bicycle company in name only, Pashley still makes all their bikes in the UK. When the Royal Mail used bicycles, they were produced by Pashley. (I guess the analogue in the US to Pashley would be Worksman.)

Pashleys are not truly rare, but neither are they common. And that’s why it caught my eye. I mean how could you not notice that chainguard?

And the leather saddle? Note that it is not a Brooks saddle, but a Lepper which is a Dutch company.*

Though I’m not cool with them leaving a leather saddle uncovered in the rain. (See here.)

The front wheel has a drum brake, but it’s not one of the newer Sturmey-Archer drum brake/dynohub combos, as evidenced by the bottle generator.